CPT code 33363: TAVR, open axillary access2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in California

CMS doesn’t publish an office rate for 33363 in California.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 33363 covers

This code describes TAVR using an open axillary artery approach: the artery is surgically exposed to deliver and deploy a prosthetic aortic valve. The valve is placed by catheter rather than through conventional open valve replacement. The procedure is typically performed by a cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology team in a hospital operating room or hybrid suite for a patient with aortic valve disease, commonly severe aortic stenosis, when axillary access is selected.

Select this code based on the documented access route, not simply because the procedure is called “open.” The operative report should identify surgical exposure of the axillary artery and transcatheter valve delivery. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When multiple procedures are performed in the same session, the highest-valued procedure is paid in full and other procedures are subject to the standard 50% reduction. Assistant-at-surgery payment requires documented medical necessity; co-surgeons are permitted, and team-surgery payment requires supporting documentation.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 33363 pays more and less in California

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

29 of 29 payment localities

How the 33363 rate is calculated

Each of 33363’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 33363

The CMS indicators that decide how 33363 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

33363 compared with similar codes

How to choose

33362Aortic valve replacementTranscatheter, open femoral access

Both describe TAVR with open arterial access. Choose 33362 for the femoral artery and 33363 for the axillary artery.

33364TAVROpen iliac artery access

This is the open iliac artery access option; 33363 identifies open axillary artery access.

33361TAVRPercutaneous femoral approach

This describes TAVR using percutaneous femoral access. Code 33363 requires surgical exposure of the axillary artery.

33366TAVRTransapical approach

This identifies the transapical TAVR route, not open axillary artery access.

Codes related to 33363

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates